Unwritten Fairytale
by DoubleEdgedSword99
Summary: Matt would follow Mello through hell and back - even though he'll never get a chance to say those utterly overrated, and Earth-shattering words. It's their unwritten fairytale... Rated T for slash and spoilers.


**/…/ = time skip, **_this _**is a flashback (most of the story comprises of these in chronological order****).**

* * *

"_Let's go stargazing tonight!"_

_Matt stared at the blonde, who was standing up at his seat in the first row of the classroom; he in the last. He abandoned Mario – who died with a pathetic, if not quiet, burst of music – in favor of furrowing his brow. It was unlike Mello to be so loud, especially when the teacher had just collected their tests._

_Linda grinned, excitement shining in her eyes – though she couldn't quite resist saying, "I guess you get good ideas once in a while, huh?"_

_Mello glared at her, then spun around on the spot to turn his beam on Near, who had given a quiet – though apparently not quiet enough – snort of agreement._

"_Well," the fourteen year old said stubbornly, "I'm going, so there!"_

_Matt smiled to himself. It really was Mello-like to act so childish yet to try so hard to be mature. The astrology teacher, Ms. Stutdon, recovered herself and spoke above the whispering that had leaked out of post-exam silence. "Mello," she said, plastering on a warm grin that the second-best did not return, "that sounds like a brilliant idea."_

_Turning to the room at large, she spoke in a louder voice – "Those who wish to come, please meet at the front of this classroom tonight at eight o'clock in the evening. Bring warm clothes, and your telescopes."_

_T (the most obnoxious, stuck-up Wammy kid there probably ever would be), raised her hand and asked, in a too-sweet voice, "But Ms. Stutdon, what about curfew?"_

_Ms. Stutdon peered at T over the thick rim of her circular glasses. "I will notify Roger, so there's no need to worry. But," she said sternly, looking at the rest of the class, "that does not excuse loud or obnoxious behavior. On your way down to the education wing, I expect the strictest of decorum amongst you all, is that clear?" The bell rang, announcing that classes were officially over and that dinner would be served in five minute, and the class muttered a brain-washed, "Yes, ma'am," before rushing out the door._

_Matt stuffed his Game Boy into his Wammy-provided, dull-brown messenger bag, and hurried to catch up to Mello. It turned out there was no need to rush, however; the feminine boy was waiting for him, leaning against the wall opposite the door._

"_So, what brought that on?" Questioned Matt, matching quick pace with Mello. His friend shot him a look underneath his freshly-cut bangs, which clearly said, do I have to spell out everything for you? It stung slightly, even if the red-head knew he didn't mean it._

"_In front of the whole class, I'll point out all the constellations and moons, and then it won't matter what percentage I get on the test," he continued heatedly, "because all they'll remember is my brilliance! I've been studying too hard to pass this up!" He flung out his arms wildly, knocking into Linda, who had been hastening herself to catch the two._

"_Did I hear the word studying?" She groaned, than her smile slid back into place, nudging Mello in the ribs – he grimaced again – with her elbow. "Mello, how many times do I have to tell you? The end of the word 'studying' is 'dying!' You'll die an old hermit, cooped up on a shack on a rock in some far-off country with your nose buried in a book, bitter and," she grinned wider, wiggling her fingers in his face, "schizophrenic."_

"_I will not!" Mello bit back, struggling to find a retort suitable for Linda's offence, and Matt tuned the two out as he led the way through the crowd._

_Finally, they reached the dining hall, which was centered in the middle of Wammy's house. (There was a door in the back leading to the kitchens and staff rooms, then two other doors leading to the dormitories – which split into one for girls, another for boys, each further arranged in a one-pair-per-room fashion – and classrooms.) _

"_Hurry up, you two," Matt called over his shoulder, sliding into line behind a group of surly-looking, older boys that he didn't know. He craned his neck to get a good look at the food – they were serving mashed potatoes, gravy, and noodles today – his favorite – although the other option was a limp, pathetic salad and a giant slab of cake that looked like carrot. He pointed out the irony to Mello, when he had joined him._

"_It's another test, Matt," he said quietly, eyes darting around to see if anyone was listening in, "they want to see what we'll pick. And then they'll psychoanalyze that somehow…"_

"_Mello," laughed Matt, catching the attention of Linda, who had been tracing a chip in the paint along the wall, "sometimes, you take this place too seriously for your own good."_

_Mello crossed his arms and huffed, while Linda quipped, "You just now noticed?"_

_When they at last reached the front of the line, he didn't bother smiling as he muttered his preference, "Noodles with gravy, and potatoes without." _

"_Picky," Mello hissed under his breath, giving him a crooked smile, and Matt shrugged in general agreement. The cook's assistant, Alex, he corrected himself as he glanced at the nametag pinned at a weird angle on her shoulder, slid him his tray of food without a second glance, but staggered slightly as Mello smiled charmingly at her._

_Matt studied his friend. Even at fourteen, Mello did have the weight of maturity written clearly on him. His fingers were calloused from hours of clenching a pen tightly in his hand, and his shoulders sagged slightly at the pressure of being number two, but not unattractively. It made him shine brighter, in Matt's opinion. His hair had been chopped at haphazardly, only to suit the requirements of the institution (if there had not been any, Matt had no doubt Mello would leave it alone – never brush it, never cut it, never wash it – he simply couldn't be bothered). His eyes were sharp and calculating, even through his utterly-fake grin he shot at Alex. Matt had only occasionally seen them soften, and it always had made him feel warm; proud to call Mello his best friend._

"_And what would you like?" Alex asked, swaying her hips a bit more than was necessary behind the counter, going the extra mile to pace a few steps towards Mello and Linda (who rolled her eyes). _

"_Hm," Mello said, pretending to think, and Matt almost smiled – although he was paranoid, he sure was subtly brilliant – Near would never be able to handle anything that required a vague acknowledgement of social skills – "what would you recommend, Alex?" _

_Matt alone saw Mello's eyes dart upwards to scan the name tag briefly; he alone heard the smallest of pauses before the name passed in a hiss through his lips. _

_Alex looked on the verge of fainting, pushing her frizzy black hair out of her face. Sick twat, Matt thought to himself – the girl couldn't have been younger than seventeen, and Mello looked no older than fifteen. (Matt had learned the insult from Mello himself – it apparently meant "pregnant fish." It was fitting, Matt thought, studying her pasty face and rather fish-like eyes.)_

_The girl looked around covertly, before leaning forward and whispering, "Try the salad."_

_Damn. _

_Mello had been right – even the food here was a test._

_It wasn't that Matt wasn't content with his ranking of three – becoming the next L meant nothing to him, really. The challenge was something like a video game – fun for the moment, but once he beat it, there would be no doubt he would be left just as empty as he had been in the first place. _

_That's why he was glad for Mello – without him, Matt would have definitely fallen into a worse habit than recreational hacking. _

_But Matt didn't like losing. So could anyone blame him for feeling slightly irritated that Mello's paranoia had paid off? And it wasn't just that. He was also slightly resentful of Roger – his constant tests (just like this!) were eating away at Mello. They were slowly beginning to define his friend, not himself. Just like now – Mello would be dutifully eating away at salad, while Matt could already feel the wistful stares directed at his potatoes. _

_When they had reached their usual table, Linda branching away with a jaunty wave to sit with her more artsy friends, Matt hissed into Mello's ear, "Trade your cake for my potatoes."_

_Mello's eyes cross-examined him, and he said, "Matt. Have you been taking your medicine lately?"_

_Matt flushed. "I don't take medicine, you idiot!" Quieting, he added, "I just feel like carrot cake today."_

_Mello, not one to further question a deal that obviously benefitted him, simply shrugged and slid his cake over onto Matt's plate, helping himself to the delicious potatoes that Matt bid a sad, thoroughly mental good-bye to. _

_But it was – almost – worth it, to see Mello smile._

_They passed the rest of the time before eight laughing, and enjoying each-other's company. It was like they had no cares in the world…_

_Then it was time._

_It was cold that night._

_Or at least, Matt certainly thought so; he had brought out his parka for a reason. When they started walking, however, Matt was sweating in an instant._

"_This is why you come outside every once in a while, Matt," Mello reprimanded, in the back of the group, as he waited for Matt to finish tying his jacket in a loose hoop around his waist. "Come on, then," he said, grabbing Matt's wrist and tugging him along._

_And it just got hotter._

_When they caught up to the group, Mello sped up to be the first one on the hill that had been designated for the night's events; not heeding Ms. Stutdon's exasperated, "Mello, wait!" _

_As soon as Matt stepped off the path into the open, he was dumbstruck by the way the night seemed to be raining stars. He had never seen them in such clarity – nights for him were always saved for studying, or, most of the time, tapping away at some forbidden computer, not dreaming. Mello's face reflected the same awe._

_Breaking himself out of his daze, he sat down beside his friend, crossing his legs. Mello's were stretched out and he was laying back. Such a contrast between them… Matt wondered if that was why the two were such good friends._

_When all was settled, Ms. Stutdon cleared her throat. "Can anyone name any stars out tonight?" She asked quietly, as if afraid of waking something._

_Mello shot upright, raising his hand. "There's Deneh, Altair, and Vega," he pointed out, finger tracing the summer triangle. _

"_And then," interrupted Linda, "there's Orihime-sama!" Mello glared at her. "But… Where's her lover, Hikiboshi-sama? Seems kinda lonely."_

_Matt quietly agreed, before Mello scoffed, "Reading love novel's again, Linda?" She flushed, and remained silent._

_It was then, at the strangest of times, looking at Mello's almost glowing profile, eyes reflecting the stars, the loose smile on his face that was, for once, utterly relaxed, that it hit Matt like a sledgehammer. As soon as the thought crossed his mind, he found himself unable to breathe for a moment, his heart beating like a hummingbird's, trying to un-think the truth, trying to go back to the way things were, because now – they never would be._

_As if in a trance, Matt said quietly, amid the other pupil's chatter, "Um… Mello…"_

_Mello turned his blue eyes to look sideways at his counterpart, and Matt found that his voice had died in his throat. When Matt continued to gape at him, opening his mouth and closing it, he returned his gaze to the sky._

_Matt breathed a sigh of relief. It was better that he didn't say it; couldn't say it. He looked up at the stars again, promising that flame that now licked at his insides, that he would never say those small, overrated, and utterly ground-shattering sounds that had erupted inside of him as long as he remained by Mello's side._

_**/…/**_

_It was a few months after the star gazing that Mello came running to Matt, who was sitting against a shelf in the library, waving a crumpled envelope and looking like the sky was hanging by a thread._

"_Matt! Matt, help me."_

_The librarian, who had happened to be passing by, gave the duo a nasty look and a complimentary, "Shhhhhhhhhh!" which was ignored by both._

_Matt looked up in alarm – it wasn't every day that the proudest teenager alive would say, "help me," after all. Especially after he had started distancing himself from Mello, hoping the feeling might go away and return him to a normal – if not slightly emptier – existence. Matt saw that it had hurt Mello slightly, but the blonde had always shrugged it off, saying it was better he study uninterrupted anyway. Which was what Matt was doing here – trying to lose himself in another game._

"_What?" He asked hurriedly, abandoning his latest Kingdom Hearts file, "What is it?"_

_Mello joined Matt on the floor, head slumping against the "J" encyclopedia. "Look at this," he said tiredly, thrusting the envelope into Matt's line of sight. He took it gingerly, withdrawing the paper within. _

_He read the contents with a neutral expression – he was all too aware of Mello's eyes on him._

_It was… A love letter. From T, none the less._

"_Well?" He asked carefully, re-sheathing the now-evil paper into its envelope._

"_Well what?" Mello sighed; taking it like it was gold (quite a contrast to his panicked demeanor earlier). _

"_Well," Matt said slowly, as if Mello was stupid, "are you going to except her confession? It said to meet her at five here, so what are you gonna do?"_

"'_Going to,' not 'gonna,'" Mello corrected out of habit, before he picked at the dirt under his fingernails. "I… I don't know, it's not every day you get a confession, right?"_

_Matt hadn't told Mello about the cream-colored envelopes he himself had been receiving lately – the sender of each he had let down quietly and coldly. He knew what it was like to un0recognized, after all._

"_She can be a pain," Matt pointed out pettily, and Mello nodded. _

"_True, but… She's good-looking enough, and it's not as if we're going to become something serious, right?" He looked at Matt pleadingly, and Matt realized that he was asking his approval; as if Mello couldn't do anything without it._

_You're cruel, Mello, Matt thought ruefully, before tugging a smile across his mouth out of nowhere. "Yeah, you're right… You should accept it, Mello." _

_Mello grinned at him, before springing up and running out of the library, no doubt to brag to anyone who would listen._

_Just too cruel._

_**/…/**_

_No one could deny that T and Mello looked good together. They contrasted in every way possible – while Mello's looks were fair, hers were dark. She abided by the rules, while Mello disregarded them almost entirely. The only thing they really had in common was their obsession for becoming the best._

"_What do you talk about?" Matt asked off-handedly, watching Mello fluff his bangs (like a girl, he would have teased him, if things had been different), and watch the clock – he was going out today, as one of the rare days they were allowed in town, with – who else? – his girlfriend. _

_The girlfriend thing was a new development, one that Mello was incredibly proud of, and one that stung at Matt constantly. He honored his promise, though, and would until the world came crashing around his shoulders. _

_Mello considered the question. "Well, we quiz each other, and…" He laughed. "Nothing really, but where's the fun in talking to the girl? It's all about," he paused for dramatic effect, wiggling his eyebrows at Matt, whose brain froze momentarily, "the psychical aspect."_

_Matt's mouth literally fell open of its own accord. "Whaaaaat?" He breathed, and Mello just laughed as he danced out the door, not bothering to shut it behind him._

_A few minutes later (during which Matt just stared, first confused, the hopelessly, at the ceiling), Linda walked by the room, did a double-take, and entered. (They had been spending a lot more time together lately; she was loud and could be obnoxious, but funny, and then she could be quiet and understanding other days. She was a good listener, and she took Matt's thoughts away from darker places. The only downside of it was the fact that Mello seemed to think there was something else going on between the two. And Matt would have thought Linda had feelings for him as well, if not for the way he saw her draw Near.)_

"_Hey, Matty," she said, throwing caution to the wind and "forgetting" the no-girls-in-the-boy's-dormitories-and-vice-versa rule as she bounced onto Mello's unmade bed, "I thought you were gonna be out in town today!"_

"_Hey, Linda," he said idly, not tearing his gaze from the ceiling. _

"_Seen Mello around? Because I wanna ask him to let me draw him." _

_Matt shook his head, before saying, "He's out with T."_

_Linda fell into a sort of examining quiet, before getting up and shutting the door. "Matt… Why don't you just tell him?"_

_He rolled over onto his side to look her in the eye. "Tell who what, Linda?" He challenged, and Linda sighed._

"_Why don't you just tell Mello that you – "_

_He shook his head violently. "It would ruin everything – besides, even if he wasn't straight, it would never last."_

_Linda cast him a despairing look. "There is no way he can't not be gay – or at least bi – with those outfits he puts together." Matt snorted, before she tacked on, "You sound like you're trying to convince yourself… How long?"_

_Matt sighed. "Too long. I don't even really know… I realized it when we went star gazing that one time, but I think it's been longer than that…"_

_Linda nodded thoughtfully, saying, "That's right – you were acting sort of strange that time."_

_Matt sat up suddenly, yelping, "Is it that obvious?"_

_Linda forced down a smile, saying behind her hand, "I don't think so; when you're an observer you naturally notice these things. It's the look in your eyes whenever you see him that's the most blatant…"_

_Matt groaned. "This sounds like a bad BL manga… Except in those things the other guy always, mysteriously likes the other guy back…"_

_Linda couldn't hide her grin this time – "Matt, have you been reading bad BL lately?" She teased, and Matt flushed brilliantly. "Shut up, Linda," he grumbled, and she laughed outright, Matt eventually joining in._

_**/…/**_

_It was at dinner that night that Linda passed her idea on to Matt._

"_Matt!" She said, leaning in his direction across the table, pushing her plate aside, "I think I have a solution to you problem."_

"_What," he said gloomily, picking at his own brick of meatloaf, "stop looking at him?"_

"_No!" she beamed, obviously proud of herself, "All you have to do is cover your eyes!"_

_He looked at her. "Linda," Matt deadpanned, "If you're suggesting I wear sunglasses all the time, or go around with my eyes closed, or something, I'm going to say you're an idiot."_

_She chuckled good-naturedly, before rummaging in her bag determinedly. "Here," she said, emerging triumphantly and pushing a pair of thick goggles across to him. They were green-tinted, and like a one-way mirror – he would be able to see others, but he highly doubted they could see him when he put them on. _

"_I got them from a friend of mine in town," she said vaguely, reading his questioning gaze correctly, "and if anyone asks about them, just say they're a fashion statement!"_

_He slipped them on, muttering half to himself, half to Linda, "That's one way of coming out of the closet…" _

_Linda just beamed._

_**/…/**_

_The sun was out, but the clouds had obscured it for hours. It would probably start raining soon._

_Mello burst into their room, fury radiating from every particle of his body._

"_Mello," Matt said, sitting up in bed and shrugging off his sheets, "what's up?"_

_He was ignored as Mello slammed the door behind him, crossed the room in several strides, and flung open the closet doors. He stood on the balls of his feet for a few minutes, violently shoving things on the top shelf aside until he reached his suitcase. Without missing a beat, he stuffed every article of clothing that was his into it, before zipping it shut and dropping it by the door, grabbing his wallet from the nightstand the two shared and stuffing it into his pocket._

_Matt felt a cold drop of dread zip through his body._

_Mello's eyes made the mistake of meeting his, and Matt blinked in surprise – they were swimming with tears. Mello seemed to crumble under Matt's concerned gaze – he dropped onto his bed with a heavy sigh._

"_L's dead. Kira killer him."_

_Matt wasn't surprised – the detective was bound to get himself killed one day. But why this reaction…? _

_Oh._

"_And Near is…" He didn't have to finish his sentence. _

_Mello took it over for him, spitting out, "And Near will be his successor. Roger wanted us to work together – can you see that? Ha! And so I'm going to make my own way."_

_Mello stood at the same time as Matt. _

"_I'll go with you," he stated, and Mello shook his head. _

"_No," he stated, "you'll just slow me down."_

_That hurt. More than it should._

"_But… What about T?" He coaxed, trying frantically to calm himself – this was a dream, right? All a dream. And then he'd wake up and…_

"_T? You don't honestly think she'll care, do you?" Mello shook his head. "You sure are sentimental."_

_So sue me, Matt thought bitterly; them berated himself for spoiling his good-bye. He reached his own wallet, and withdrew all the money he had – mostly from hacking jobs – then handed the neat wad to Mello. "Then you'll need this, at least."_

"_Thanks, Matt," Mello said, his voice breaking slightly, "and when I get a job or a lead on Kira, I'll get in touch."_

_Matt couldn't bring himself to believe him as he said his last goodbye, watching Mello disappear down the corridor. _

_It started to rain._

_**/…/**_

_The next five years passed without incident._

_The first year, Matt boycotted lessons and only ventured out of his room to eat. He's alive, though – hacking every computer he can to try and help Mello and his cause – he hadn't gotten a call yet._

_The second year, Roger sat Matt down in his office and told him to get over himself. Matt did (though he knew it would be impossible to get over Mello), and moved up the ranks – he had fallen from three to last – to number one; because without Near (he heard Near is recruiting to hunt down Kira himself) and Mello (…he hasn't heard a word), there, it's easy, too easy._

_The third year, Linda rented a space at a local art studio. She visited him from time to time, and offers him a place to stay in one of the spare rooms when he dropped out of Wammy's. Still, their friendship has faded, because she'll never replace the hole Mello left, and isn't too keen to try._

_It's probably better that way, though._

_The fourth year, he got a call from Mello. He didn't hear his voice, though – just breathing – before the person on the other line hung up. Matt was the happiest he had been in years._

_The fifth year, Linda went on a six-month trip to California, to see a famous gallery. He managed the paintings and helped out the occasional customer that comes in to see her work, and it was raining again when he gets another call._

_It's like will bled back into him as Linda's words sunk in – "Matt. You need to come to California. Mello needs your help."_

_He boarded the latest plane, and it can't fly fast enough._

_**/…/**_

"_So," Matt said, looking down at Mello's limp from that is stretched across the couch, "you want to try and figure out how to treat three-degree burns and several most-likely infected cuts… On the internet."_

_Linda shifted beside him. "We're Wammy kids; how hard can it be?"_

_So they tried._

_**/…/**_

_Linda went back to England, scolding the pair of them up to the last second of time she was with them. Watching her plane depart, Mello's cobalt eyes darted from side to side; then he said (quietly, nonchalantly), "I'm in the Mafia."_

_Matt chokes on his own spit._

"_What?"_

_Mello rolled his eyes and started walking towards the exit. "Come on, I'll fill you in on the way. By the way," he said, turning back to Matt, "can you still hack? Because I'll need you to break into a couple computers, and help me place some cameras in Misa Amane's apartment. Up for it?"_

_It struck Matt then just how much Mello had changed. It wasn't just that half of his face now sported an impressive scar, or that his bangs had grown out to be choppy, their lines once smooth, or that he had grown taller. It was that his shoulders were half-way up to his ears; that every muscle in his body seemed to be coiled underneath the form-fitting leather. (Oh, how Matt was grateful for those goggles now!) He seemed like a snake, ready to lash out at anyone who touched him._

_And it was in that observation that Matt understood the crushing reality of that they were no longer best friends – they were leader and follower. Maybe it had been that way from the start._

_What was almost worse is that he would never be able to tell him, now._

_**/…/**_

"_Yeah, she's cute," Matt muttered off-handedly, tapping away at his latest electronic device, flicking his masked eyes up to the hidden cameras every so often._

_He probably imagined the hitch of Mello's breathing._

_Just wistful thinking, after all._

_**/…/**_

"_Matt," Mello said, tapping him on the shoulder, and Matt turned his head, shutting his DS closed at the same time._

"_Yup?" One of the most annoying forms of "yes." Shows just how far the gamer had sunk._

"_We're going to kidnap Takeda," Mello says simply, and Matt listens to his plan, because he'll follow Mello to the ends of the earth._

**/…/**

It hurts like hell.

He doesn't count the number of bullets that tear through him; and how can he? All he can think for the moment is how much it hurts and ohgodhowmuchhewantsittobeover. He's spinning almost gracefully, slumping against the once-shining car, managing to think, _I'm sorry._

And then he looks up at the sky through his goggles), and in the last few seconds of heartbeat, he finds Hikiboshi-sama.

He hopes Orihime-sama won't be lonely anymore.

**/…/**

_I love you, Mello._

_That was the secret only I knew, in this unwritten fairytale._

_**~END~**_

* * *

**A/N: I did **_**not**_** mean for Linda to be such a big character in this! (How did it happen, then? …I have no idea.) This was inspired by the song "****Kimi no Shiranai Monogatari****" by Supercell which, along with **_**Death Note**_**, I do not own.**** By the way, the tense change **_**was **_**on purpose. **

**Thanks for reading!**


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